Armour: Russell Wilson did job, saving Seahawks' season

Jan. 20, 2014
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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson hoists the George Halas Trophy after the 2013 NFC Championship football game against the San Francisco 49ers at CenturyLink Field. / Joe Nicholson, USA TODAY Sports

by Nancy Armour, USA TODAY Sports

by Nancy Armour, USA TODAY Sports

Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks are on their way to the Super Bowl thanks to the young quarterback's completion on a gutsy fourth-down call in the fourth quarter.

It hardly matters that Wilson was perfectly miserable for most of the game, fumbling snaps, making bad throws and spending so much time on the ground he might as well have been a tackling dummy. Or that Seattle's Pete Carroll was outcoached for most of the day by his old nemesis, the San Francisco 49ers' Jim Harbaugh.

When a play had to be made, Wilson - and Carroll - did.

"We played so hard," Wilson said. "We talked at the beginning of year, `Why not us? Why not us?' That's kind of been our mind-set."

Two plays after Wilson was whistled for intentional grounding, leaving a monster-sized divot in the CenturyLink Field turf and what seemed like an even bigger dent in Seattle's chances, the Seahawks faced a fourth-and-7 from the San Francisco 35. Going for it was out of the question, what with the way Wilson was playing.

Wilson's pass was perfectly on target, saving Seattle's season and, maybe, his reputation as one of the NFL's brightest young stars.

"(Carroll and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell) made a great decision," Wilson said. "We went with a double-count and Jermaine Kearse came down with a big-time catch."

Because that's what big-time players do, and Wilson surely has to be considered one of them now. Regardless of the outcome against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos on Feb. 2, Wilson led his team to the Super Bowl in only his second season. He might have struggled this season â?? and in this game â?? but the Seahawks don't make their second Super Bowl without him.

It was his mistake on the very first play of the game, a fumble that the 49ers recovered, that led to San Francisco's first score -- even if it was only a field goal. Wilson was skittish in the pocket, dancing around and backing up when a step or two forward would have opened up things. up. And when he did throw, it was often for little or no gain.

So as the seconds on the play clock ticked down with no sign of kicker Steven Hauschka, you had to wonder exactly what Carroll was thinking. Hauschka finally ambled out, only to have the Seahawks call a timeout.

But when the Seahawks took the field again, there was Wilson.

"We sent the field goal team out there but it was beyond what Hauschka had done (in pre-game warmups)," Carroll said. "I said, 'Let's not force the issue in hopes of him kicking a good ball there.'

"(But) we weren't going to punt it."

With the 49ers bringing the same relentless pressure they had shown all game, Wilson coolly bided his time. Finally spotting Jermaine Kearse in the end zone, he let fly.

Carlos Rogers was on Kearse's shoulder, so close the Seattle wide receiver could probably hear Rogers breathing.

But Wilson's pass was perfectly on target, saving Seattle's season and, maybe, his reputation as one of the NFL's brightest young stars.

"(Carroll and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell) made a great decision," Wilson said. "We went with a double-count and Jermaine Kearse came down with a big-time catch."

Because that's what big-time players do, and Wilson surely has to be considered one now.

Regardless of the outcome against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos on Feb. 2, Wilson led his team to the Super Bowl in only his second season. He might have struggled this year â?? and in this game â?? but the Seahawks don't make their second Super Bowl without him.

"Look what he's done. Look what he did as quarterback of this club," Carroll said. "We've all done (it), but he's been in the middle of all of it."

San Francisco still had a chance to win, advancing to the Seattle 18 in the game's final minute. But Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman tipped the pass Kaepernick intended for Michael Crabtree, and it fell straight to teammate Malcolm Smith.

Not content with setting up the game-sealing play, the mouthy Sherman got in Crabtree's face. It's sure to add more fuel to what's fast becoming the best rivalry in the NFL.

San Francisco-Seattle might be a relatively new thing, with roots in the college ranks, of all places. Carroll was king of Pac-10 until Stanford hired a brash up-and-comer in Harbaugh, who let it be known he wasn't going to back down to the Trojans.

When Harbaugh ran up the score on Carroll and USC in 2009 -- the infamous "What's your deal?" game â?? it ensured the two would never be buddies.

With the two now in the NFC West, it's only upped the ante.

The 49ers are pro football royalty, five-time Super Bowl champions with a list of former players that reads like a "Who's Who" of the NFL. The Seahawks are relative upstarts, playing in only their third conference championship game â?? matching the 49ers' number over the last three seasons.

The Seattle fans have made CenturyLink Field the toughest place to play, producing noise at such a level that not only does it make it impossible for opponents to hear, the energy produced rivals some earthquakes. And the 12th Man was in prime form Sunday, cheering so loudly the stands shook.

"The 12s, it's just woven into the fabric of what Seattle is all about," Carroll said. "I love the fact that we have the opportunity to go to the Super Bowl and represent the Northwest and our fans ... because they deserve it."